Today we’d like to introduce you to Franklin Pichardo and Wally Henriquez.
Hi Franklin and Wally, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Frankie and I met in culinary school and began dating shortly after and working in restaurants in NYC. I was born and raised in Miami, FL and he was born and raised in Queens, NY. When the pandemic hit, we decided to fly down to Miami to be with my family since we were both let go of our jobs and were unsure of what was next. So we put our creative and culinary minds to the test and began virtual cooking classes with our family and friends in June 2020. It was then when after a class, we taught on how to make lasagna was where we had the idea of us starting our small business and begin selling our now signature ready-to-bake lasagnas.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In the beginning, there were a few challenges, such as testing the recipe and finding the right ingredients. Not knowing much of the food scene in Miami was also a bit of a struggle for us because we did not have many contacts in the industry to ask questions or get guidance from. We were also using the kitchen in my parent’s home to cook and perfect our recipe, which was the most challenging because we also had to cook meals for my entire family daily as we were living there as well. But once we moved into a commercial kitchen space and into our own home, as well as finding the right products we really loved, things got smoother and easier along the way. We have now been able to expand our menu and add new items!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Currently, we make lasagnas as well as salads and chocolate chip cookies. We specialize in Italian food and are known for our ready-to-bake lasagnas. What sets us apart is the quality in our products, the time and the love we put in cooking each meal. We want to reimagine take-out food and get people to cook in the kitchen without it being difficult. We want our meals to be ready under an hour and it feel like a homemade cooked meal. We offer pickup and contactless delivery services.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Frankie and I share very similar backgrounds, as we are both from hispanic tight-knit families. We are both outgoing and friendly. Growing up we both knew we had a love for food and cooking. I, as a little girl, would spend hours baking in the kitchen while my sisters were outside playing in our backyard. Frankie grew up around food as his family owned a supermarket store in NY where he began working as soon as he was a teen and he would also spend his time in the kitchen at home with his mom, who taught him how to cook.
Pricing:
- Small Lasagna $25
- Medium Lasagna $50
- Large Lasagna $100
- Cookies $3
- Salads $10-25
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://frankieandwallys.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankie_and_wallys/
Image Credits:
MiCO by Mi and Colette Instagram: @miaandcolette
Logo is Lauren Solberg Instagram: @Laurensolbs_illustrated
